WAYFARING STRANGER

Country Musician Luke Bell Found Dead Over a Week After He Vanished

The singer-songwriter is believed to have had a recent change in medication to treat his bipolar disorder.

The body of country music star Luke Bell was discovered in Tucson, Arizona, on Monday, nine days after he was reported missing by his loved ones. The Tucson Coroner’s Office confirmed Bell’s date of death as Aug. 26, three days before he was found, according to The Sun.

Fellow musician Matt Kinman, who had been caring for Bell for the last six years, was traveling with the 32-year-old star when he suddenly disappeared near 4th Ave in Tucson.

“We came down here to Arizona, to work down here, play some music, and he just took off,” Kinman told the popular country music blog Saving Country Music, adding that he believed Bell suffered from bipolar disorder and had a recent change to his medication, which may have played into his disappearance.

“He was in the back of the truck. I went in to get something to eat. I came out, and he’d got out of the truck and left.”

It wasn’t the first time the singer-songwriter had disappeared, reported the outlet. Bell had a reputation for hopping freight trains and traveling the country on a whim.

But, according to Bell’s manager, he had been doing well for at least the last year and a half thanks to proper medication and treatment.

The honky-tonk musician was widely celebrated for reenergizing a bygone sound, and despite releasing just one album that had its initial debut on Bandcamp, Bell quickly rose to prominence and critical acclaim, opening for the likes of Willie Nelson and Dwight Yoakam.

The star’s cause of death is still unannounced pending an autopsy.